Some thoughts on… Batman V Superman (spoiler free)

I’m not gonna post a typical review of Batman V Superman because anyone who has been on the internet in the last week will have seen the sheer volume of reviews and the battle between fans and critics. In case you did miss it, suffice it to say that despite hugely negative reviews (29% on Rotten Tomatoes!), fans have still turned out in droves, resulting in an opening weekend gross that beat The Avengers. So there! Who needs critics anyway, right?

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Anyhoo, says the girl whose dream job used to be film critic, reviews of films like Batman V Superman really need to be taken with a pinch of salt. For the most part, critics aren’t comic book fans themselves and are looking at these films in a totally different way to the fan boys/girls out there. For some critics, going to see The Dark Knight and Man of Steel battle it out is another day of the office. For the die-hards (myself included), tickets are reserved in advance, bums are perched on edges of seats and the building excitement is similar to that of a six-year-old on Christmas morning. And, in case you wondering, fans have rated the film at 72% on Rotten Tomatoes – a big difference of opinion.

On that note, here are ten things that I loved about Batman V Superman…

1. It doesn’t hold your hand. Apart from another rehash of how poor little Bruce Wayne became an orphan, there’s no re-introduction to our titular ‘heroes’ and things aren’t spelled out for you. The filmmakers assume prior audience knowledge, which is great. I read The Dark Knight Returns a while back and made a start on The Death of Superman at Luke’s suggestion (not a spoiler – it’s the first comic featuring Doomsday, revealed in a trailer to be the film’s climactic villain) and there were still some things that went a bit over my head – but that’s ok. Luke explained a couple of things over pizza after the film – namely the premonition scene, which you would’ve thought I’d have all figured out as a fan of The Flash (TV show)

2. The supporting cast. I loved reading early on that Holly Hunter would be appearing as she’s incredibly under-rated. As is Scoot McNairy, who I loved in In Search of a Midnight Kiss and Monsters

3. The Bat-voice. If it wasn’t for Christian Bale’s Bat-voice in The Dark Knight, it would be a damn faultless film. Yep, I went there. Here, The Bat’s voice is differentiated from Wayne’s but not in a twat-ish way. That’s a technical term, look it up!

4. Ben Affleck. One of the few praises that have been sung about BVS is that Affleck is the first actor to play both Bruce Wayne and Batman well. Daredevil aside, I think Affleck deserves a helluva lot more respect as an actor and director and I can’t wait to see what he does with the role next

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5. Lex Luthor/Jesse Eisenberg. Oh my gosh, how freakin’ awesome was Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor?! Like, scene-stealingly good. He actually reminded me a bit of Heath Ledger’s Joker – not in a “I’m a Batman villain and I need to be like the Joker cos he was so popular” way but in a “I don’t think the guy can handle such a bad-ass role – holy shit, he nailed it!” way. He seriously gave me the willies and played the part perfectly

6. Wonder Woman. YES! So bloody brilliant. Even though she’s only in a handful of scenes she pretty much stole the show for everyone – even the critics! Gal Gadot is ridiculously hot, pulling off the sultry, secretive party guest and hardcore warrior at opposite ends of the film. I have a feeling she’s going to be my new girl crush come the release of her solo film

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7. Soundtrack. Hans Zimmer has done it again. One particular part of the score which stood out for me was when Wonder Woman appeared in the climactic battle (totally not a spoiler – it’s in the trailer!). I got all kinds of goosebumps!

8. Cameos. It’s the Dawn of Justice after all. I won’t reveal them all but everyone knows Aquaman makes an appearance, so there’s that. How awesome is Jason Mamoa?! I need me that Pop Vinyl!

9. The merch. Check out my previous post here for the linkies

10. This video. Luke was watching it in the office as I started this post and I had to get the link to share it. When films like BVS are finally released you always hear about earlier iterations of the script and this video had me in stitches!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V_rZuekW3U]

Have you seen Batman V Superman yet? What did you think?